Visit Knoxville, which operates the Sunsphere, announced this week that construction will begin next week on the second phase of their plans to improve the Sunsphere while adding to its functionality. The first phase of their efforts included repainting the structure its original classic blue. That phase was completed last November.
When first constructed, in 1982, the architectural firm McCarty Holsaple McCarty and the Christman Company were involved. History repeats for the current project with both companies serving as architect and construction manager respectfully. The East Tennessee Community Design Center “participated in the conceptual process.” Also involved are the Haines Structural Group and Engineering Services Group, Inc.
The project will involve construction of a Welcome Center level with Clinch Avenue, which will become the primary entrance to the Sunsphere for those wishing to experience the observation deck. The entrance is two floors above the base of the monument, but will be much more easily accessible to tourists coming from downtown, from the Tennessean, or the Convention Center. The new center will allow on-site ticket sales (they are currently sold online) and will be staffed, feature additional retail, and information. The entire project is anticipated to be completed by the end of this year.
Of the project, Kim Bumpas, President of Visit Knoxville said:
We are so excited to offer an elevated experience to visitors and locals alike with the new Sunsphere Welcome Center. The beautiful color change of the structure has already made an impact, and this second phase will enhance the vision even more.
Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon added:
These renovations continue to highlight the status of Knoxville’s iconic structure, welcoming all to this standout attraction. This could not be done without the participation of key partnerships to bring this vision to life, and we know that the Sunsphere Welcome Center will be a highlight of our city’s downtown.
Those who were here at the time will remember the theme of the World’s Fair was “Energy Turns the World,” and in a tip of that hat to that fact, plus our need to produce sustainable energy, the “entrance canopy will be topped with a solar array facing the Knoxville Convention Center on the east side of the Sunsphere.” Chroma Energy Group partnered to make the panels possible. The interior of the new center will feature lots of light in the form of a bank of panoramic windows overlooking the World’s Fair Park and a skylight through which visitors will see the outline of the sphere.
While visits to the Sunsphere have skyrocketed since the improvements to the observation deck (it now tells the story of the World’s Fair and displays artifacts), the welcome center should increase those numbers significantly. While current ticket sales are online only and involve a QR code and an assigned meeting time at the base, the new Welcome Center will make traveling to the top of the Sunsphere easier than ever, plus guests can wait their turn inside the center as opposed to in the elements and they will enter the elevators directly inside the Center.
The level already has a structure and it will get a new room and each of its six sides will be painted a different color, referencing the world’s largest Rubik’s Cube which was a gift from Hungary and now resides inside the Convention Center. The eye-catching red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and white should catch the eyes of passersby and draw more people to the center.
No closures are anticipated during construction, but should there be any, those would be announced on the ticket site, sunspheretickets.com. All this is made possible by the Sunsphere Fund created by Visit Knoxville “with support from Knox County and the City of Knoxville in 2019 to preserve and maintain this historic structure.” The money raised by admission and sales of souvenirs goes directly to improve guest’s experience at the Sunsphere and to preserve and improve the structure.
If you’d like to see a timelapse of the first phase, you will find it at sunspherecam.com. You can follow the progression of the current project on Facebook, and Instagram.